About the Community Endowment Fund (CEF)
The Community Endowment Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation reflects our ever-growing commitment to regenerative philanthropy. A diverse and regionally representative, openly recruited Community Advisory Committee leads all CEF program development and grant decision-making.
The Community Endowment Fund, through our Solidarity program, currently offers three (3) application-based grant opportunities – Renewal, Reimagine, and Reshaping Futures grants – that support movement groups advancing justice and equity in our region.
Eligibility Requirements
CEF grant applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, school, governmental or religious entity, or a group fiscally sponsored by a mission-aligned 501(c)(3) organization, whose work directly benefits residents of Charlottesville or the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson, and Orange. The Community Foundation is unable to accept CEF grant applications from fiscally sponsored businesses or for-profit entities at this time.
Application Frequency
Applicants may only apply for one CEF grant per calendar year. Past CEF grantees must fulfill the terms of their previous grant, including all final reporting requirements, before applying for additional CEF grant funding.
Fiscal sponsors may only submit one CEF application for themselves per calendar year. However, fiscal sponsors may be listed as fiscal sponsors on multiple proposals. See our Fiscal Sponsorship Policies for additional details and instructions.
Communications
While we do not require grantees to acknowledge the Community Foundation when communicating or publicizing grant-funded work, should a grantee choose to do so, we request that you appropriately acknowledge the grant as an award from The Community Endowment Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation in these communications.
It is important to us that we share the impact and learnings from our grantmaking, as well as celebrate progress and successes with the public. Grantees, especially recipients of large and/or multi-year grants, may be asked to provide the Foundation with some public-facing material at the close of the grant that shares out challenges, success, learnings, models, as applicable. This may take the form of a white paper, booklet, or other medium, etc.
The Foundation reserves the right to share all progress reports, data, information, results, products and lessons learned. The Foundation can distribute externally any of these materials through our website and other distribution channels. Grantees agree to provide the Foundation with full access to materials for this purpose. The Foundation may also request that the grantee develop for approval a distribution plan for sharing materials through our channels.
Confidentiality
It is the policy of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation that all discussion of the applicant’s proposal remains confidential from public discourse during the application process. This policy must be agreed and adhered to by the applicant, board members, review committees, and staff of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Confidentiality does not negate the Foundation’s commitment to transparency. This policy is not intended to prevent disclosure where disclosure is required by law; however, all involved parties are cautioned to demonstrate professionalism, good judgment, and care to avoid unauthorized or inadvertent disclosures of confidential information. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential or privileged information is a violation of this clause and can possibly delay or hinder the application process.
Expenditures & Reimbursements
Grant funds are awarded to implement the work described in submitted proposals. The funds may not be used for other activities that do not contribute to achieving the goals of the proposal. Grantees must immediately contact the Foundation if funds cannot be expended as originally proposed or if there is a need to direct the funding differently. The Foundation will work with the grantee to develop a revised scope of work to achieve proposal goals.
Grantees may expend grant funds on approved budget items by a variation of up to 10% of the approved amount and may also reallocate grant funds across budget categories by up to 10% of each category. Grantees agree to contact the appropriate Foundation staff should the over/under expenditure amount exceed 10% for any category. Grantees are expected to retain payment documentation, such as receipts, for all grant-covered expenses for a minimum of four years and agree to make them available to the Foundation upon request.
Applicants wishing to cover expenses incurred before a grant is awarded must receive written approval from the Community Foundation. In rare cases, applicants may be allowed to apply for reimbursement funding to cover expenses incurred within 90 days of their grant award payment. Receipts or other documentation of how funds were used are required.
If a grantee is unable to conduct proposed activities or if there are any unused funds at the end of the grant period, the grantee agrees to return the grant funds unless authorized by the Foundation in writing to expend the funds for a different purpose.
Fiscal Sponsorships
See our Fiscal Sponsorship Policy for additional information on how to successfully apply with a fiscal sponsor.
Private Schools
A private and independent school may submit one application per calendar year. The Community Foundation will consider proposals that demonstrate a benefit to the broader community. Private and independent school proposals must include a letter of support from the Principal or Headmaster.
Public Schools
Individual schools within a public school system/division may each submit one application per calendar year. Public school divisions may also simultaneously submit one school division-wide application per calendar year. The Community Foundation will consider proposals for activities that provide educational and enrichment opportunities that are complimentary to standard core curricula. All proposals must be submitted by the Superintendent’s Office and include a letter of support from the Superintendent.
Reporting
The Foundation will actively manage the grant award by staying in touch with grantees to understand progress toward goals and any challenges or opportunities that arise. The Foundation may also request additional meetings throughout the year. Grantees agree to participate in all meetings requested by the Foundation.
Grantees agree to complete activities based on the timeline outlined in their proposal to the best of their ability. Should a grantee experience any challenges or opportunities that affect the completion of proposed activities, or if there is a change in key personnel, the grantee agrees to proactively contact the Foundation to determine whether an amendment should be made to the proposal. The Foundation reserves the right to terminate the grant and request repayment should we determine that a change would result in an inability to meet proposed goals.
Grantees agree to track progress and provide the Foundation with a final written or verbal site visit interview report that includes but is not limited to the following:
- Any discoveries, findings, setbacks, or lessons learned that will influence the grantee’s work moving forward.
- Additional resources or opportunities the Foundation could offer to support this work.
- Other relevant information the grantee would like to share.
Grantees are to maintain accurate records of the grant, including all grant-supported payment documentation and receipts, for a minimum of four years and will allow the Foundation to access this information upon request.
Please note, if a grantee fails to provide a final report in a timely manner, and no attempt has been made by the grantee to extend reporting deadlines, this may impact distributions and consideration for future grant rounds.
Last updated January 28, 2025.